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Struggle for Life

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Belgium|2016|99 minutes|Antonin Peretjatko

In the tradition of classic French slapstick comes this laugh-a-minute satire about a hapless young suit sent to oversee the building of a ski resort in French Guiana, meeting a beautiful woman named Tarzan on an absurdist trip through the Amazon.

Monday, May 22, 2017

French director Antonin Peretjatko shows the rougher side of European living in this unconventional and absurd comedy about a man's unusual journey of self-discovery. Marc Chataigne (Vincent Macaigne) is stuck in a 10-year stint as an intern, trying to figure out how to move on with his life. He is sent by the Ministry of Standards in Paris to the South American nation of French Guiana to confirm that all European standards are being upheld in the first Amazonian ski resort to be built. Armed with his "Code of Standards" and smartphone, Marc delves into the jungle, led by the lovely Tarzan (Vimala Pons). What keeps up the rhythm of this bizarre tale is the randomness of the film's different elements. From the arrogant Damien, who somehow pops up after being killed on numerous occasions, to the jungle creatures that mosey across the screen without a second glance from the characters, Struggle for Life cherishes its right to the weird and offbeat. Marc himself is able to sum up the entirety of the film when confiding in Tarzan, "I never felt alive before I came to the jungle."

Director Biography

Graduated from Louis Lumiere film school, Antonin Peretjatko directed several short and medium-length films such as "Rush Hour" (2002), "Changement de trottoir" (2004), "French Kiss" (2005), "Last Chance Operation" (2006), and "You want a story?" (2015). After directing two "making-of" for Jacques Audiard (A Prophet and Rust and Bone), he made his first feature film in 2013, The Rendez-vous of Deja-Vu. His second feature film, Struggle for Life, reunites him once again with the actors Vincent Macaigne and Vimala Pons.

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